


Relevés avec Whiskey

by Hoppskibjack



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe - Western, Doctor Hannibal Lecter, Gen, He has rescue horses instead of dogs, Sheriff Will Graham, Western
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:08:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24340342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hoppskibjack/pseuds/Hoppskibjack
Summary: Will Graham is the new sheriff of a small frontier town where some murders have been going on. He's called in to look into the matter, sent to the scene by the good doctor Lecter. Strange, he makes amazing meals, but doesn't seem to raise any animals himself...
Relationships: Will Graham & Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	Relevés avec Whiskey

**Author's Note:**

> Winner for best overall fic of a Fanfiction Contest on discord. Prompts were Hannibal/Western.

Will Graham jumped down off the corral fence, turning back around to pat the nose of the mare who nudged him as he left. She was getting friendlier by the day here; no longer tied outside the saloon day in and day out by her drunkard owner, instead allowed to amble around the paddock with the rest of Graham’s rescues. Spending time with horses allowed his mind to rest, giving him a few moment’s peace. Living in this small frontier town hadn’t been easy, but it had made sense to put down a few roots now since Crawford had left and he had been made… —

“Sheriff!”

Will sighed, dusting himself off as he walked towards the harried man who had slowed down upon seeing Will, his hat being tortured in his hands as he waited to speak. 

“I’m so sorry to bother ‘ya Sheriff, but it couldn’t wait.”

“What’s the problem?”

“He’s dead!”

“Who’s dead, Jimmy?” That was possibly the most important information to have. He started walking past the man, urging him to follow. 

“The drunkard, Smith, one of the ladies found him, Sheriff, he was… he was hung on the wall like a picture, but all his innards were stuffed into liquor bottles. It was horrible! The good doctor Lecter told me to come find you right away.”

“He was right to do that.” Why was Dr. Lecter already there when it happened? He wondered. The man had a tendency to turn up when others left, perhaps driven by the same insatiable curiosities that had earned him this badge and title.

As Will started towards his tack shed, the man Jimmy, stopped him and pointed to his own horse tied not far from the barn. “Take my horse Sheriff, I can walk back.”

Will didn’t spare another moment, giving him a nod of thanks and then mounting the horse and riding back into town and the horrific sight he would face there. 

\-----

“It’s the damnedest thing Sheriff, I’ve seen plenty of brawls, but I ain’t never seen something like this before. Who would kill a man and then shove his guts into bottles?”

Will glanced up, but said nothing he was so caught up in examining the splayed man on the wall. He had seen this before, before he came to this town and been made Sheriff, before he took on all this responsibility when he was just a man interested in crime and good at helping to solve it. But that was the big city, he reminded himself, when men actually cared to know why things happened and who did them without just caring about revenge. 

The barkeep continued, seemingly unfazed by Will’s lack of response or perhaps used to it by now. “Now, don’t misunderstand, he was no saint, far from it, and he had debts, but this is horse thievery treatment and then some! You kill a fella like this for a reason, Sheriff, a personal reason.”

“Perhaps the reason is simply to garner attention,” the voice was smooth like a calm pond and Will knew who it belonged to before he saw him. Still he broke his attention away from the mounted man and turned to see Dr. Lecter, impeccably dressed as always, carefully examining one of the bottles filled with blood and viscera. 

“Dr. Lecter.” Will said, acknowledging him with a tip of his hat. 

Hannibal Lecter returned the gesture. “I see Jimmy passed the message onto you.”

“And lent me his horse,” Will added. “Considerate of you to send him to me. Did you know him, the dead man?”

Dr. Lecter looked grave. “I did as did most. An unpleasant, rude creature, I’m sorry to say. He treated his fellow man about as well as he did his horses.”

“And that wasn’t very well.” Will supplied, remembering the mare he recently rescued. He beckoned for the undertaker to come into the saloon and begin his job, he had been standing around out of the way waiting patiently to take the body. “It wasn’t an accident,” Will deadpanned, stepping up to help the other man take out the long nails from the wall that held the corpse and the piano wire from around his throat. “The bottles too,” he added and the man’s assistant, a boy of perhaps 12 came forward to quickly take the bottles and bring them back to the cart that already carried the empty casket. “This is a horrific act for a man to do, even to someone as awful as Smith.” Will was speaking to himself, but Dr. Lecter replied anyway. 

“Every human being is capable of committing great acts of cruelty.” Dr. Lecter said, handing the last bottle to the boy who brought it outside. “I hope you won’t take this tragedy as a personal attack on your ability as Sheriff, Will.”

Will shook his head, taking off his hat to mop his brow before replacing it. “This is the Wild West Dr. Lecter, if I took it personally I would have nothing left to take. People die by their own hand and others. It just bothers me, some of the marks and way he was displayed remind me of a murder that happened in my hometown. Like my past is coming back to haunt me.”

“That’s a long way to travel just to kill someone, Will…” His voice was gentle. 

Of course it was, Will told himself. Still, the piano wire and then hung like a painting with coffin nails made him think of before. The innards in jars too, had happened before he became sheriff here. He didn’t believe in coincidences, not like this. 

“Perhaps, I can invite you to dinner, Will?”

He had drifted off during the conversation, but he snapped back at the mention of a meal. Even as his stomach growled it’s agreement to the offer, Will naturally hesitated. “That's a very kind offer Dr. Lecter, but I would hate to impose.”

“Not imposing at all.” Dr. Lecter seemed to brighten to Will, excited about the prospect. “Meat spoils so quickly in this heat, you would be doing me a favour if you’ll allow me to cook for you.”

“It’s just, Molly will be waiting,” Will said again, hesitating, his wife becoming once again a simple and vague (if necessary, sometimes) protest although the thought of another person’s cooking definitely appealed. 

“Molly would be more than welcome as well. She’s a lovely woman and I would enjoy her company. I’m sure there would be plenty to go around.” Dr. Lecter was calm, cool and collected as he always was even as with the approaching midday heat. “I do have thoughts about this murder I believe you might find useful.”

Will narrowed his eyes slightly in confusion, but he had his attention. While Dr. Lecter was a man of many talents, more than the small western town knew what to do with, if he was honest, he was still an interesting oddity to many of the men there. More than once the man had shown wisdom beyond what was expected of him, crossing lines relating to his occupation and his class in the town. Will, however, never balked at this unorthodox and slightly eccentric way. He was happy to use his talents wherever they were best appreciated. “I would enjoy hearing them,” Will finally said, raising a hand in recognition of the undertaker leaving with the body.

Dr. Lecter smiled one of his wide and encouraging smiles. “It’s settled then. Please, let your wife know of the meal this evening and I will see you then. I’m afraid I must leave you, I have some errands to run.”

“Please, don’t let me keep you. I look forward to this evening.”

It was a few moments after Dr. Lecter left that Will realized he couldn’t find the piece of piano wire he had pulled off the deadman. While it was possible the undertaker took it, that man had the work ethic of a man being paid half his necessary wage in liquor from the saloon. He wouldn’t do any more work than absolutely necessary. No matter, he would investigate later, the thought of a good dinner that wasn’t beans and rice now occupying his mind. Dr. Lecter never kept hogs, but the pork he served was possibly the best in the town...


End file.
